At the early hours of the night, Naruto sat before a bowl of steaming ramen, with his chopsticks in hand; stirring the noodles while Sakura and sai were seated next to him at Ichiraku.

The pale skinned shinobi didn't seem to notice any issue from the silence, since it's only been half an hour since they'd arrived at Ichiraku to catch up as team 7, since each of them have been busy with their shinobi duties.

Sakura however, found Naruto reticence as strange, as she knew her trusted friend and hero of the Ninja world to be someone who hardly thinks so deeply about anything, especially when in front of Ramen.

' maybe am the one overthinking it, this is his fifth bowl after all, but still... '

Sakura allowed her mind to trail of for some moments, before she realizes she couldn't find any reason for Naruto to be this quiet, so she decided to speak up,

" Umm Naruto, what's up. Is something bothering you? " Sakura questioned her emerald eyes on his hair which the poor guy had allowed to grow out into a medium spiky locks, going against her advice to keep it low like he did a year ago.

' is he changing because he's turned twenty? ' Sakura pondered.

Despite having spoken to him, Naruto didn't seem to have heard her, this caused Sakura to raise a pink eyebrow,

" Naruto... " Sakura said raising her voice slightly with a frown, feeling annoyed by her friend's muteness.

Naruto sensed the danger in her voice, and his mind woke up from the realm of thoughts which had paralyzed him and kept him from having proper communication with his friend's.

Naruto immediately grinned and lifted his head, which had been hung staring at a bowl of ramen his mind was far away from, he turned his three whiskered face towards Sakura.

" Sorry Sakura, did you want to tell me something? " Naruto said with a cheery voice, " I wanted to tell you that Hokage sama asked me to tell you, that he needs you in his office tomorrow! " replied Sakura with a raised and slightly frustrated voice.

" Oh, yeah yeah yeah, " said Naruto nodding his head, Sakura sighs " you're still so dense, I don't know how Hinata keeps up with you " she said shaking her head and looking away.

Naruto kept his cheeky grin, turned his cerulean gaze to his ramen, and began gobbling it down, Sakura and sai glanced at him before looking away, with the same thought in mind,

' He'll never change '.

In two minutes Naruto had gobbled down his ramen, he reached down and pat his solar plexus, whilst heaving a sigh of satisfaction. Naruto drew the stool back, and got off.

" You're leaving? I thought you would at least have four more bowls, " said Ayame, the daughter of Teuchi: Ichiraku ramen place owner.

Sakura and sai gaze went back up to look at their friend, whom had one hand on his nape, and the other on his solar plexus with his cheeky smile ever present.

" I don't think I can take anymore tonight, maybe some other time " Naruto said, " sorry guys, I'm gonna retire early " Naruto said before turning away and walking out of Ichiraku and into the cold street with snow cascading from above.

Sakura and Sai sat watching his back as he was leaving, confused.

" Naruto and Hinata fought, perhaps? " said Sai suggestively, " perhaps " she said...

Naruto arrived in front of his new apartment building, which he relocated to a month after saving the earth and the moon with his friends. He walked to begin his ascension up the stairs, when he stopped and turned his gaze to the dark-blue sky, watching the fall of each snow.

' it was snowing like this last year as well when Toneri attacked ' He thought.

Naruto turns his gaze away after a little while and began walking up the stairs, till he was in front of his apartment door, but as he did Naruto's brows immediately became furrowed as he saw that the door was slightly opened.

' Hinata '.

He thought of the only person whom he knew had a key into his apartment, which he had given Hinata a few months after they started dating. Hinata, however was not a regular at his place, none of his friends are, Hinata only came occasionally whenever she had something to tell him or give him.

As such, it's kept them from exploring forbidden areas of their relationship, all Naruto knows they've ever done is kiss several times, nothing too deep.

Naruto pushed the door in, and stepped into his apartment. Entering, he noticed the light in his kitchen was on, and also caught the smell of juicy plump shrimp, sweet potato, creamy eggplant, and fragrant shiso leaves,it became instantly obvious Hinata had prepared Tempura.

Naruto had had the dish a couple of times to remember how it smelled like, Naruto turned and closed the door then he walked over to the kitchen. Before he could enter his kitchen, which was now larger than the living room of his previous apartment, which he'd lived in for quite some time,

Hinata popped out gently with a smile on her face, a smile Naruto has now grown used to. Hinata had her fingers interlocked behind her back, wearing a blue apron.

" Welcome home Naruto Kun, I've been waiting for you ", " Hinata chan, you didn't tell me you would be coming, when did you arrive, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting " Naruto said smiling with his eyes closed.

" Why are you smiling you fool, isn't it obvious she's been here waiting for you, cooking while you were out eating "said Kurama in a slightly irritated tone.

Naruto hadn't realised he was smiling, he wasn't even sure why he was smiling in the first place.

' Well don't chew my head off, I think it's just an habit of mine '.

" I haven't been here that long, " said Hinata her voice dropping as she looked away to her left.

"Liar ", ' yeah ' Naruto agreed.

" You prepared Tempura again? " He inquired rhetorically, " yes " Hinata replied her voice rising back to normal.

" Then let's eat, I'm starving, " Naruto exclaimed strolling into the kitchen.

"Liar, " said Kurama again, but this time Naruto refrained from responding.

Naruto approached a 91.44cm brown wooden table, with a dark-blue cloth covering the table, and upon the tables are two plates of Tempura and a cup of water at it's side. Naruto pulled a chair, and sat down before the table. Naruto puts his hands together before his chest, and with a smile says,

" Thank you for the food, "

Right after, Naruto picks up his chopsticks, and with it picks a shrimp into his mouth and followed it with a thinly sliced sweet potato, Naruto munched and the crunchy sound of the dish escaped the barriers of his lips.

The tempura was so delicious Naruto wasn't sure when he finished, he drank his water, thanked Hinata in the same manner he had done before eating and headed to his living room, which still had four diplomatic info scrolls he was reading, before heading out lying on his couch.

Hinata followed him as he sat on his couch, Hinata stood while Naruto was seated. A minute passed, before Naruto realized Hinata was neither preparing her departure from his apartment or departing.

He'd had his eyes turned to the scroll, before he realized it, so he tilted his head to meet Hinata's burning gaze, Naruto gulped, he knew that expression, it is Hinata's expression of determination.

" Hinata?... why aren't you say- "

With the surprise of lip against lip, Naruto could not finish his sentence, he never minded being kissed. But as time went on, Hinata began moving her lips against his and before he knew it she was causing him to lean back against his couch.

Hinata got closer, and became touchy as she passionately kissed him, in those moments, Naruto began to feel a rise in his manhood. Blood was rushing away from his brain, and down to his genital.

Naruto had not once imagined Hinata doing what she was doing, and he admitted to himself that it felt kinda good. So Naruto joined in, placed both his hands on her waist and responded deeply to her kisses.

Their make out progressed, and Hinata began to unzip Naruto's orange hoodie, then she dug her left hand into his white undershirt and caressed the surface of his abs and upwards to his well developed chests.

Naruto with his mind having slipped into a semi-primal state, took hold of the situation and flipped Hinata over unto the couch, he switched positions as well and hovered above her, within the few seconds their lips were apart Naruto woke up.

And his consience forced him to push himself off Hinata, and land several centimeters away from the couch, Naruto wasn't sure what he was doing or why he was doing it, but right in that moment he pursued his one and only thought without a second thought.

Naruto sprinted off into into his bathroom, and locked the door once he was in. He went straight ahead, took off his hoodie, tosses it, turns the water valve on the wall and coldwater rained down from the faucet upon him.

As his sun kissed hair began to become soaking wet, Hinata also started knocking on the door.

" Naruto Kun, Naruto Kun? Did I do something wrong " Hinata asked, " no you didn't. I was just surprised, and I don't think tonight is the best time for that maybe another time! " Naruto shouted, with his eyes tightly shut.

" Umm, I understand, I'll leave now. Goodnight Naruto Kun "...

Naruto heard nothing from that point on, till the door closed, then he knew Hinata was gone. Naruto tilt the shower valve, and the waters ceased, he held unto the valve and breathed to calm himself. Naruto stood that way for several minutes, trying to make sense of what just happened.

" Kurama, what did I just do? " He inquired.

" Why ask me, i've never done that before " replied the nine tails.

" Oh yeah, you couldn't have, you were too busy going on a rampage, "

" what did you say, you litlle runt. Going on a rampage, whose fault is that i wonder... Oh yeah, fucking humans! "

" Hey watch it, don't damage my brain with those nasty words, "

Kurama scoffs, " brain. You dolt, how can i damage something you don't have " said Kurama.

Naruto frowns, then he enters into the psychological realm Kurama's consciousness resides, he floated up above the dark floors till he could look the nine tails in his glaring slit red blazing eyes.

Naruto also glared back with a cross-slit orange pair of eyes.

" What was that about not having a brain, you over grown fox? " said Naruto in a challenging voice, " who you calling an over grown fox, you whiskered monkey, "

Naruto lifts his right arm, as he did chakra raced from his scapula to his metarcapus and, a sphere of lava appeared and grew into a massive sphere, big enough to make Naruto look small.

Kurama as well had orange chakra race up from the soles of his hind feet, to his neck, his large mouth opened wide and various chakra particles began to converge into a single point, forming a tailed beast bomb the same size as Naruto's lava ball.

Naruto's frown deepens, seeing the fox is unwilling to back down, so he decided to add a Naruto special to the lava sphere. Whilst the sphere radiated it's natural heat, a wind shuriken blade began to manifest and form about the sphere.

It only took a few seconds for the wind blade, to become fully mature.

" Kurama!!! " , " Naruto!!! "

The Jinchuriki and his tailed beast roared each other's name, and released their attacks. The attacks sailed through the air, till they collided and resulted in an explosion which force, threw both away.

Naruto opened his eyes to the outside world.

" That would teach that old and insensitive fox " Naruto said in a satisfactory tone.

Naruto turned away, walked over to his hoodie which was still dry, picked it up and hung it. Naruto took off his wet pants, and underwear, and left the bathroom naked. The hero of the Ninja war, headed into his bedroom where he changed into a orange boxer shorts, and jumped unto his bed face buried in the pillow.

" Stupid fox ".

Meanwhile, Kurama had returned into a resting position with his chin resting upon his clawed hands, he closes his big red eyes with a smile.

" Idiot ".

Naruto drifted off into slumber, without a single thought of what had transpired tonight, in this apartment of his which neither Hinata or Naruto had ever tried anything like such in.